BUS 475 Capstone Final Examination Part 1

BUS 475 Capstone Final Examination Part 1

1. Mirabel Inc. has recently ventured into the home cleaning supplies market with its very own floor cleaner, Flofix, which does not contain any harmful chemicals such as phenol. The company has used aggressive marketing strategies and innovative advertising campaigns to promote the product. The company’s revenue analysis shows that the sales for the product are increasing steadily. However, when the market survey team of the company surveyed a large number of consumers in the target market, the consumers mentioned that they had not switched over to the new brand of floor cleaner.

Which of the following, if true, best explains how the sales for the company went up in spite of consumers not purchasing the product?

· People prefer to use products that they are familiar with rather than trying out new products.

· Mirabel Inc. did not invest equal amounts of money on its different advertising campaigns.

· Organizational buyers purchase new products before consumers do.

· Consumers sometimes wait to see how well a product performs in the market before purchasing it.

2. After a series of thefts in an organization, the management is considering whether or not to install cameras inside the office. The management is torn between violating the privacy of employees and preventing future thefts from taking place. This scenario illustrates an __________.

· absence of codes of ethics

· absence of codes of professionalism

· ethical lapse

· ethical dilemma

3. Colneith Corp. is a pharmaceutical firm that mainly produces drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. The Medical Association of Zachary Islands conducted a study on the effectiveness of the firm’s drugs and found that multiple dosages of drugs were fatal. This discovery would most likely lead to:

· short-run profits for the firm.

· the exit of the firm from the market.

· an increase the production of the drug.

· a decline in the production of the drug.

4. LaBelle, a famous cosmetic brand, introduces a new skin cleanser. The company pays bloggers to write positive reviews about the product. The consumers who follow these blogs assume that the bloggers are sharing their personal experiences and decide to try the product. They are unaware that the blogs are part of a marketing campaign. After a few days of using the product, they complain of rashes and allergies. The bloggers can be charged with __________.

· assault

· battery

· defamation

· negligence

5. Sam’s stores, a popular retail store, uses barcode scanners to scan each product that it sells. The data generated from the scanners are saved in a database. The database is updated every time a product is scanned and sold. This computer-based information system helps managers access and analyze sales data. Which of the following systems is the store using for its business?

· Electronic commerce system

· Supply chain management system

· Expert system

· Transaction processing system

6. The government of Seronia is deeply concerned about the rate of obesity in the country. It has framed a policy that requires food and beverage manufacturers to be taxed according to the sugar and fat content in their products. This will make high-sugar and high-fat products more expensive for consumers. The government believes that this policy will surely benefit the health of Seronian citizens.

Which of the following statements, if true, would undermine the government’s argument?

· Consumers tend to decrease the consumption of some healthy food products to afford the prices of high-sugar and high-fat products, which are tastier.

· Recent campaigns done by nutritionists have increased consumer awareness about the adverse effects of a high-calorie diet.

· The policy is not applicable to food products that are not manufactured within Seronia.

· The Seronian government’s expenditure on providing health care to its citizens has steadily increased over the last ten years.

7. Kwalkon Computing released a new software update for their calendar app. The update synchronizes both personal and business calendars seamlessly. The update has all the relevant bug fixes and promises to make the app work faster. Since there have been no recent complaints about the software, the update must have solved all the customers’ issues.

Which of the following questions would be most relevant in evaluating the argument?

· Has Kwalkon released any updates for their other software applications?

· What is the memory required in order to install the update?

· What is the pace at which the updated app will perform its functions?

· Has enough time passed after the release of the update?

8. Zuckain Corp. has issued a 10-year coupon bond. The bond is issued at an annual coupon rate of 14%. The face value of the bond is $1,500, and the bond is currently trading at $1,232.56. Calculate the bond’s yield to maturity.

· 15.64%

· 17.32%

· 8.95%

· 9.25%

9. A shift in the demand curve for pretzels increases the price of pretzels from $1.25 to $1.75 and its quantity demanded from 30 million to 35 million. The price elasticity of demand for pretzels is _____.

· $1.50 per pretzel

· 5 million pretzels per dollar

· 2.32

· 0.46

10. Rosa Maria attends an interview for a sales manager position at Pixxels Inc. As part of the interview process, she is asked to reveal personal information. The company gets Rosa’s consent to share the information with a security company for background verification. Which of the following actions, if taken by the security company, will be unethical?

· Selling Rosa’s personal information to a third party

· Contacting Rosa’s previous employer for verification

· Requesting for additional information

· Providing Pixxels Inc. reports on Rosa’s online behavior

11. Dupon Inc., a leading manufacturer of handheld game consoles, decides to enter the global marketplace. It decides to sell its products directly in a foreign country. The foreign government denies permission to the company on the grounds of protecting domestic manufacturers. However, the government is willing to change its decision if the company contributes to local employment. Which of the following strategies of entering the foreign market will present the least risk to the company while also meeting the government’s condition?

· Joint venture

· Contract assembly

· Direct investment

· Direct exporting

12. FarmFresh Inc. partners with multiple retailers to sell its organic products. If stocks fall below a product’s threshold, the retail managers raise purchase orders to FarmFresh. It takes two days for FarmFresh to process the orders and dispatch the products. The process proves to be ineffective when the retail stores do not have the stock to meet a sudden increase in demand. How can supply chain management (SCM) systems solve this problem and make the process more efficient?

· FarmFresh can have real-time access to sales information.

· Managers from the retail stores can raise purchase orders over telephone.

· The retail stores can track the status of a shipment.

· Customers can track the status of a product delivery.

13. Mark is expected to receive $950 at the end of two years. Calculate the present value of this amount if the discount rate is 6%.

· $1690.99

· $1792.45

· $845.50

· $896.23

14. Rodriquez works as a scriptwriter in an advertising agency. He has been assigned the task of developing a script for a television commercial. He prepares a rough draft of the script and submits it to his manager, Carl. Carl reads the script but derives a different meaning from it than what Rodriquez intended. According to the basic communication model, which of the following will be the next step?

· Carl will refuse to provide feedback to Rodriquez.

· Rodriquez will be asked to narrate his script to an audience.

· Rodriquez will choose a communication channel to transmit his message.

· Carl will respond with his interpretation of the script.

15. Irvin's Ice Creams, a popular chain of ice cream parlors present only in the United States, is looking for opportunities to grow its business. If the firm conducts a SWOT analysis of its performance, which of the following would be categorized as a threat?

· The growing demand for ice creams in international markets

· The firm’s inability to scale up in terms of revenue

· The firm’s positive brand value among customers

· The entry of international ice cream brands in the U.S. market

16. Rikan Inc.'s credit sales for the year 2016 are $5,000,000, and its gross profit is $1,500,000. The company’s average inventories are $595,000. Its average accounts receivable is $750,000 and average accounts payable is $640,000. From this information, calculate the company’s cash cycle. (Round the answer to one decimal.)

· 183.5 days

· 50.1 days

· 36.8 days

· 199.5 days

17. When Ronike Ltd. decided to change its logo, it encouraged its employees to get involved in the decision-making process. Employees were asked to engage in brainstorming sessions by forming groups and working together in teams. Which of the following is a likely outcome of their teamwork?

· Team members who have hidden agendas will be automatically filtered and removed.

· Increased diversity of views among team members will help improve decision making.

· The dangers of groupthink will be reduced.

· Team members are less likely to support the final decision regarding the change in logo.

18. Managing Director: Our business has expanded over the past couple of years. The profit margin and revenue earned have both gone up. On careful analysis of our client base, we have found that all of our clients belong to the same culture as us. They also hold ethical values that are similar to ours. Based on this finding, it would be best if our company stops training our employees on cultural sensitivity and instead gives our employees specialized training in market research analysis.

The Managing Director’s argument is flawed because it:

· assumes that training in market research analysis is less expensive than training in cultural sensitivity.

· takes for granted the continued increase in revenue that the company will experience.

· fails to consider that the suppliers for the company might belong to a different culture than the clients.

· disregards the influence that a training on cultural sensitivity could have on the company’s profit margin.

19. Calculate the net working capital from the information given below. The figures are in millions of dollars.

Cash and cash equivalents $ 90

Inventories 450

Accounts receivable 255

Fixed assets 1,080

Short-term investments 145

Goodwill 90

Accounts payable 220

Long-term borrowings 660

Short-term borrowings 85

Interest payable 115

· $1,030

· $520

· $610

· $(140)

20. Cream & Fresh Ice Creams pays bloggers to write positive reviews about its ice creams. Readers who are interested in the product read these reviews and share the link with their friends who further share the reviews with more people. Some readers try the ice creams and add their own comments to the blog. Which of the following strategies is the company using to promote its products?

· Stealth marketing

· Wholesaling

· Telemarketing

· Online word-of-mouth marketing

21. In 2005, Susana purchased a 7-year zero coupon bond for $967.23. The face value of the bond was $1,200. Calculate the capital gain on this bond in 2006.

· $42.56

· $23.56

· $30.75

· $78.56

22. Dupon Inc. is a leading manufacturer of handheld game consoles. Each console manufactured by the firm has a different game. Although the video game industry faced a sharp decline in demand with the introduction of mobile games, Dupon still holds a significant market share for handheld games compared to its competitors. To hold the market share, Dupon provides discounts to customers purchasing more than one console. Which of the following stages of the product life cycle is Dupon’s products going through?

· The introduction stage

· The growth stage

· The maturity stage

· The decline stage

23. Michael deposits $35,000 today in his bank account. Calculate the approximate amount he will have at the end of six years if interest is 10% per year and is compounded semiannually.

· $115,560

· $62,860

· $50,180

· $70,060

24. Five years ago, Rigatani Corp. introduced its new energy drink, Energize. According to recent market surveys, the product is in its decline stage. At the same time Energize was introduced, Panne Inc. introduced White Unicorn, another new energy drink. Therefore, White Unicorn must also be in its decline stage now.

· Which of the following is an assumption on which the conclusion is based?

· White Unicorn did not spend more time in the maturity stage than Energize did.

· Both products were not well received in the market.

· Consumers have realized that the presence of caffeine in energy drinks is detrimental to their health.

· Market surveys are not a reliable method to determine the stages in a product’s life cycle.

25. In 2006, Dexel Electronics Inc. introduced audio systems in the market for electronic gadgets. Because of an increase in sales volume as well as a growing proportion of repeat purchasers, the company has now upgraded the old version of audio systems by introducing new features. Given this information, in which stage of the product life cycle does Dexel Electronics lie?

· Introduction

· Maturity

· Decline

· Growth

26. From the following information, calculate the net increase in cash.

Earnings before interest and taxes $52,000

Depreciation expense 7,800

Decrease in prepaid expenses 1,700

Increase in accounts receivable 12,880

Purchase of machinery 32,700

Payment of dividends 11,300

Increase in bank borrowings 8,600

· $13,220

· $18,620

· $88,780

· $23,380

27. Irvin's Ice Creams, a popular chain of ice cream parlors located only in the United States, is looking for opportunities to grow its business. Which of the following suggestions, if provided by the company’s marketing manager, would present the least amount of risk to the firm?

· Leveraging the firm’s brand value by selling children’s toys

· Selling its current products in an attractive new market

· Increasing sales by increasing the number of stores in the United States

· Selling Irvin’s branded clothing in a new market

28. LaBelle, a famous cosmetic brand, introduces a new skin cleanser. Initially, the product does extremely well and reaps huge profits for the company. After using the product for few months, consumers having acne complain of rashes and allergies. An external chemical agency accuses that the company used a harsh chemical that causes allergies to people with acne, and it did not include it on the ingredients list displayed on the product’s label. These harsh chemicals did not cause allergies to people with normal skin. When enquired, the company’s CEO confesses that the products would have not done so well if they had listed the chemical. The company can be charged with __________.

· battery

· defamation

· fraud

· assault

29. Which of the following alternatives will give the lowest present value?

· Receiving $450 at the end of two years at an interest rate of 9% compounded annually

· Receiving $500 at the end of three years at an interest rate of 11% compounded annually

· Receiving $550 at the end of two years at an interest rate of 8% compounded annually

· Receiving $650 at the end of three years at an interest rate of 10% compounded annually

30. Marketers at Cream & Fresh Ice Creams update the company’s web site and online journals regularly with information about new ice creams. Readers who are interested in the articles updated on the company’s web site and online journals share the links with their friends who further share it with more people. Some readers try the ice creams and add their own comments to the web site and online journals. Which of the following strategies is the company using to promote its products?

· Stealth marketing

· Blogging

· Wholesaling

· Telemarketing

31. TwissData Corp. is an electronics firm based in Damiya that manufactures motherboards. Because of a rapid growth in the personal computing industry, TwissData Corp. decides to produce personal desktops and laptops instead of motherboards. By doing so, which type of market-product strategy has TwissData Corp. applied?

· Market penetration

· Market development

· Diversification

· Product development

32. Tony holds 350 shares of a company’s stock. At the end of 2015, the market price of each share was $32. During the year 2016, the company pays $2.25 in dividends per share. At the end of 2016, the company’s stock is priced at $39.50. Calculate the percentage return for holding the company’s stock during the year 2016. (Round the answer to one decimal place.)

· 36.8%

· 20.6%

· 30.5%

· 16.4%

33. Hailey's Food Inc. sells fish sticks at $3.00 a box. The government passes a law requiring sellers of food products to pay $0.50 as tax for each product they sell. Hailey's has to pay the government $0.50 for every box of fish sticks it sells. The company decides to trade down to compensate for the tax. Which of the following is a likely outcome of the company’s decision?

· The company will increase the price of one box of fish sticks to $3.50 while also increasing the package size.

· The company will increase the price and quantity of fish sticks.

· The company will continue to sell the same quantity of fish sticks at the same price.

· The company will sell fish sticks worth $2.50 at $3.00 per box.

34. Calculate the cost of preferred stock from the information given below:

Annual dividend on preferred stock $ 13.50

Price 110.00

Flotation cost 6.00

· 12.98%

· 17.73%

· 5.45%

· 12.27%

35. The owners of Brizzels’ Food Truck send live notifications to their customers when their truck is close to the customers’ locations. Their strategy was in response to a customer’s blog post about having to wait for long hours till the truck arrives. Which of the following strategies does this scenario illustrate?

· Social analytics

· Social intelligence

· Social commerce

· Social publishing

36. The intensive 45-day training program for new employees at Zed Inc. requires trainees to take several tests that trainers at Zed Inc. have to grade. Recently, there has been a 30% increase in hiring. With the present number of trainers, it is not possible to finish grading all the tests in time.

HR manager: The training team should transfer all the tests for the trainees to software that will grade them automatically. Our hiring budget will not allow the hiring of additional people to manage the increased number of trainees. Using auto-grading software will not require any funds from our hiring budget.

Which of the following is assumed by the HR manager?

· Trainees will need a shorter duration of time to answer the tests after the auto-grading software is implemented.

· Zed Inc. will not need to hire additional people to operate the auto-grading software.

· The duration of the training cannot be reduced without negatively affecting the quality of the training.

· Using auto-grading software will allow Zed Inc. to support all of its potential training needs in the future.

37. A popular hypermarket chain came under criticism for failing to protect the e-mail addresses and credit card details of 50,000 customers. CloudCom Inc., a web services company, identified that the lapse was because of a worm that had breached the hypermarket’s internal servers through an unauthorized e-mail, and that the anti-malware system failed to catch the worm. Which of the following actions should CloudCom take to restrict such malwares from entering the hypermarket’s internal network?

· Whitelist the malware

· Use a virtual private network to connect its users

· Update the anti-malware system’s database

· Install a firewall

38. General Pharmacy’s stock has a beta of 1.8 and an expected return of 14%, and Sicoras Corp.’s stock has a beta of 1.5 and an expected return of 16.2%. Assuming capital-asset pricing model holds, calculate the return on the market portfolio.

· 10.6%

· 7.3%

· 19.9%

· 11.2%

39. The capital structure of Wilken Corporation is given below.

Calculate the weighted average cost of capital (WACC).

Debt 35%

Preferred stock 15%

Common equity 50%

Additional details are as follows:

Bond yield to maturity 10%

Dividend of preferred stock $9.50

Price of preferred stock $100

Flotation cost of preferred stock $5

Dividend of common stock $2.00

Price of common stock $40

Growth rate of common stock 12%

Corporate tax rate 30%

· 12.45%

· 18.35%

· 35.75%

· 10.65%

40. Claudia is a team lead in an organization. One day at work, a team member, Marc, informs Claudia that he wants to speak to her about the problems that he faces at work. Marc tells her that he is being treated unfairly at work and that his colleagues often ridicule him because of his ethnicity. He goes on to say that his disturbed state of mind has caused a dip in the productivity and quality of his work. Claudia does not interrupt him when he is speaking and encourages him to talk openly. She also lets him know that she understands his situation and that his feelings are valid. In this scenario, Claudia is primarily engaged in __________.

· defensive listening

· passive listening

· selective listening

· empathic listening

41. Robert, an ardent blogger, is approached by the marketing manager of LaBelle, a famous cosmetic brand, to write positive reviews about the company’s products. Robert knows that the company’s products cause allergic reactions and to write positive reviews about the products would be unethical. Which of the following decisions will be considered an ethical lapse?

· To inform people about the products’ allergic reactions

· To turn down the company’s offer

· To write positive reviews about the product

· To write a review after testing the product

42. Truno Corp. plans to purchase new project management software. There are three available choices in the market: Telpro, Morse, and Verla.

Systems manager: I have compared the three available choices. All three choices are similar in quality, features, and usability. However, Morse is the most commonly used software, and it also has the lowest purchase price. Therefore, the best choice of project management software for us would be Morse.

Which of the following statements, if true, would strengthen the systems manager’s argument?

· The prices of Verla and Telpro have fluctuated considerably over the past 5 years.

· Morse is easily customized to fit individual customer needs.

· The project management requirements of other users of Morse are not similar to those of Truno Corp.

· Employees at Truno Corp. do not support the idea of using project management software.

43. The current price of Latera Corporation’s common stock is $45 per share. The company expects to pay a dividend of $3.30 per share during the next year. The expected growth rate of the stock is 12%. Calculate the cost of equity using the constant-growth model.

· 19.33%

· 7.60%

· 13.64%

· 7.33%

44. Harry is receiving a loan of $3,000 from his friend to pay off some outstanding bills. The loan is structured in such a manner that the interest rate is 6% for the first year, after which the interest rate increases by 2% per year until the loan is paid. Calculate the amount that Harry will have to pay his friend if he waits for a period of four years to pay off the loan. (Round the answer to one decimal place.)

· $2,127.10

· $4,005.50

· $3,777.80

· $4,231.20

45. Managers at Hush Sports Inc., leading manufacturers of sports apparel, are contemplating manufacturing high-end maple baseball bats. To understand the existing demand for the product, the marketing managers decide to set an online campaign, promoting the product through blogs, videos, and interactive forums. Which of the following approaches should the company adapt in its campaign?

· Replying to the consumer queries about the advantages of using high-end maple baseball bats

· Restricting the consumers from posting comments on the company’s Web site

· Withholding information that would cause potential concern over the product’s quality

· Posting messages that the company would not prefer to convey to an audience face-to-face

46. MaxSale, a popular supermarket, is approached by Hartane's, an organic food producer, to sell its products through the supermarket’s stores. MaxSale demands a substantial amount of money to display these products for a minimum duration. MaxSale uses this strategy to charge premium amounts to a select few producers as a means to reduce competition. By doing so, which of the following consumer rights is MaxSale violating?

· The right to choose

· The right to be informed

· The right to safety

· The right to be heard

47. Ricalta Inc. earns a total of $500,000 before interest and taxes. Its total debt is $1,110,000 (costing 5%). It has 150,000 shares of common stock at $5 per share. The firm is considering reducing its debt by $450,000 by issuing an additional 90,000 shares of common stock. The firm is in the 35 percent tax bracket. Its earnings before interest and taxes will remain the same as the new capital structure will not impact the firm’s operations. Which of the following will be a consequence of the change in Ricalta’s capital structure?

· The firm’s net income will increase by $10,625.

· The firm’s earnings per share (EPS) will be reduced by $0.66.

· The firm’s earnings before taxes (EBT) will remain unchanged.

· The firm’s net income will decrease by $14,625.

48. Hush Sports Inc., sellers of sportswear, transitioned from being just a brick-and-mortar store to an online marketplace for sports goods. Hush Sports still relied on customers to call the store for feedbacks or complaints. To speed up the process, the company updated its Web site with options for the customers to review the products they purchased. Positive reviews attracted more customers, and negative reviews helped the company improve its products. Which of the following strategies has Hush Sports included in its business process?

· Crowdsourcing

· Cooperative advertising

· Conversational marketing

· Blogging

49. Sophie owns SugarCream bakery that produces 20 pastries in a day. The price of one pastry is $12. If she hires another worker, she will be able to produce 24 pastries in a day. Assuming that she operates in a competitive market and aims to maximize her profits, she decides not to hire the additional worker. Which of the following explains why Sophie did not hire the additional worker?

· The cost of hiring the additional worker was less than the marginal product of the additional worker.

· The cost of hiring the additional worker was less than the average product of the additional worker.

· The cost of hiring the additional worker was greater than the value of producing additional pastries.

· The opportunity cost of hiring the additional worker was zero.

50. Marketing head of Tosel Inc.: Our company has been using an advanced CRM platform, Inito, which is popular among businesses for its sophisticated functionality. Inito allows us to store customers’ psychographic data as well as their recent shopping behavior. However, since we began using Inito, we have not been able to generate a significant greater number of leads. Clearly then, using CRM software does not help in generating any business.

Which of the following statements, if true, would weaken the argument above?

· It is difficult to create a successful marketing strategy for a customer base that greatly varies in demographic and psychographic factors.

· Tosel has not invested the resources required to maintain its database of customers’ psychographic data and shopping behavior.

· Inito is the most commonly used CRM platform.

· Tosel has integrated Inito into the other information systems used by the company.